Friends cast pay tribute to late their co-star Matthew Perry

Friends cast have spoken out after the death of their costar Mathew Perry who was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday at age 54.

In a joint statement obtained by PEOPLE, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer paid tribute to their late costar and friend.

"We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family," their statement reads.

"There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world,” it added.

It was the first public statement on Perry’s death from Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, and Schwimmer.

For 20 years (1994-2004), each of these five actors appeared in every episode of all 10 seasons of Friends, the NBC sitcom, along with Perry.

Perry portrayed Chandler Bing in this comedic performance that landed him a 2002 Emmy nomination.

Series co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane were joined by executive producer Kevin Bright in issuing a joint statement on Sunday. 

“We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent,” their statement read.

“It’s a cliché to say that an actor makes a role their own, but in Matthew’s case, there are no truer words. From the day we first heard him embody the role of Chandler Bing, there was no one else for us,” it added.

The co-creators said they will always treasure the moments spent together with Perry.

“We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment — not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart,” they said.

Sending condolences to everyone grieving Perry, the co-creators said, “We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”

According to BBC News, the cause of Matthew Perry's death is unknown and has been "deferred" pending further investigation.

The LA Times and TMZ, which first reported the Friends actor had died, said the star was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his house on Saturday.

Perry's post-mortem examination was inconclusive, while officials await the results of toxicology tests.

There were no obvious signs of trauma, an LA Police spokesperson confirmed to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

The LA County Medical Examiner's office updated their file on Sunday to say the case had been deferred.

This usually means that the post-mortem is complete but more detail is needed